Huaco; Moche Culture, Peru, AD 400-700. Ceramic. Measurements:... Lot 34

Huaco; Moche Culture, Peru, AD 400-700. Ceramic. Measurements: 29 x 10 x 15 cm. Vessel with a polychrome stirrup featuring an animal. On top of the rounded body, an amphibian-like figure squats with webbed feet, presenting a wide frog/toad-like mouth and eyes; its prominent, rounded ears are curiously similar to those of a bat or a jaguar. It represents a transformational beast. the surface is painted in a red, cream and black colour scheme with polka dots adorning most of its skin and contour lines highlighting and outlining the eyes, nose and mouth; while it shows black pigment on the legs in relief, and a black painted garland held between the front legs. Settled on the northern coast of Peru, the Moche culture developed in the valleys of Lambayeque, Chicama, Moche and Viru, between 1 and 800 AD. This region is characterised by a desert crossed by several watercourses, which flow into an ocean particularly rich in marine resources. The Moche artisans produced masterpieces in ceramics, weaving, and gold and silver work. Their characteristic style encompasses the most diverse materials, such as pyro-engraved gourds, mural painting, feather art, and body painting and tattooing. The pottery decoration demonstrates a mastery of pottery making rarely surpassed, using the techniques of incising, bas-relief stamping and painting on smooth surfaces. A significant proportion of these objects were made in specialised workshops controlled by the state, where mass-produced pieces were made using moulds. These vessels not only display a wide variety of shapes and decorative styles, but also bear depictions of myths and rituals. Among the ceramic forms that stand out are the so-called "portrait bottles" or vessels in which the face of an important figure in society is portrayed. The characteristic facial features, the use of face paint or tattoos and the use of complicated headdresses can be seen in great detail. This "portrait" capacity of Moche pottery can also be seen in the depictions of possibly everyday scenes or erotic scenes, as well as in the effigies showing hunchbacks, blind people, harelips and other illnesses.